Communicating cards have become well known over the past several years in conjunction with advances made in microelectronics and integrated circuit designs. A communicating card delivers a communication in response to an actuation signal. Talking greeting or trading cards are the most common embodiment of communicating cards, delivering audible communications, although cards which deliver other communications, including visual, tactile or wireless (e.g., RF) communications, are within the scope of the teachings of the present invention. Combinations of communication types, such as audible and visual, are also within the scope of the teachings of the present invention. A communicating card is typically small and thin, such as the size of trading cards, business cards, and the like, but may also be of other sizes and shapes.
The deficiencies with current communicating cards are exemplified by the designs of and manufacturing methods used for currently available talking greeting or trading cards. With current cards, it is known to assemble the portion carrying the electronics, record the message and adhere the preprinted card covering onto the frame carrying the electronics. Such prior art designs and manufacturing methods require that essentially all manufacturing/assembling steps be taken sequentially, without the capability of taking some steps in parallel to reduce the total time.
These designs and associated manufacturing methods limit the ability to maintain a flexible supply of inventory which can be easily adapted to demand for particular types of cards, particular graphical/written indicia on the card and particular prerecorded or preprogrammed communication. For example, once a card covering is adhered to the electronics portion, the communication cannot be easily changed. Neither can the covering, which has been preprinted, be changed. If, after completion of the card, it becomes desirable to change the communication or the covering, it cannot be easily done, if at all. This creates an inflexible inventory situation in which the communication and covering are susceptible to being outdated or unneeded. The alternative, using such prior art designs and manufacturing methods, is to complete the cards as needed, in a just-in-time manner. In instances where the demand for the cards is cyclical or seasonal in nature, such an alternative may not be timely enough to meet the needs.
These designs and manufacturing methods are also not well suited for high volume, mass production of communication cards. If high speed equipment is used, there is the potential for damage to the electronics during adherence of the cover to the electronics portion. Additionally, if, as is not unusual, the component which actuates the delivery of the communication includes a push button which extends from the surface of the card, there can be problems with registration between the opening in the card cover and the push button in high speed manufacturing. The solution to these problems has typically been to rely on hand work rather than high speed equipment, sacrificing efficiency, volume and economy to fit the available designs and manufacturing methods. In addition to the volume constraints presented by current designs and manufacturing methods, small volumes of cards are prohibitively expensive.
When the communication being delivered is an audible signal, typical prior art communicating cards do not deliver adequate sound volume and quality. These prior art designs lack sufficient acoustical coupling between the speaker and the outside of the card. Although the outer surface of such cards can be adapted for better sound transmissivity, such adaptations can add cost to the card and require registration between the outer surface and the speaker.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a design and manufacturing method with which communicating cards can be economically mass produced without posing risk of damage to the electronic components while providing flexibility in maintaining inventory stock. There is a need which allows the economic manufacture of cards with a variety of communications and coverings in large volumes as well as small volumes. There is a need for design and manufacturing methods which utilizes a high number of common elements/manufacturing steps which are independent of the communication or covering, thereby allowing most of the communication card to be constructed, yet leaving for last the steps which are unique to a particular communication and covering. There is a need for a design which provides better sound transmission.